In this guide, we will explore why and when you should use this powerful feature.
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Why Use This Feature?
Transform your program from a passive expense into a high-performance growth engine. By shifting away from a "one-size-fits-all" model, you leverage the Goal Gradient Effect—a psychological principle where affiliates significantly increase their effort as they approach a specific reward or higher-tier rate. Data shows that implementing these performance-based commission structures can boost active affiliate engagement by 30-40%, directly driving higher sales volumes.
Using Extra Commission Types allows you to tailor your rewards structure to specific business goals and affiliate performance:
Reward Specific Actions (CPA): Incentivize affiliates to drive more than just final sales by setting up extra commissions for valuable non-purchase actions, like newsletter sign-ups, free trial registrations, or lead form submissions.
Differentiate Product Commissions: Not all products have the same profit margin. This feature lets you apply different commission rates based on product, SKU, or category, ensuring your incentives align with your most profitable inventory.
Create Tiered/Special Structures: Easily implement sophisticated models, such as specialized percentages for recurring payments or unique commission rates for specific seasonal campaigns.
Please note that this feature can be implemented if you integrate your website using WooCommerce, JavaScript, or the REST API integration guides. If you choose the JavaScript or REST API approach, a developer on your end will need to be involved. We’ll share the details on how to implement this below.
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Example Case: Cross-Product Incentives
Imagine your business sells two main product lines:
Line A: Imported Perfumes (Higher Price, Lower Margin)
Line B: Hand-Made Soaps (Lower Price, Higher Margin)
The Challenge: Your default commission rate might be set at $10 for all conversions, which works well for the high-volume, lower-priced soaps, but feels low for the high-priced perfumes.
The Solution with Extra Commission Types:
Create a standard Commission Type (e.g., "SOAP_COMMISSION") and set it to a 20% percentage rate.
Create an Extra Commission Type (e.g., "PERFUME_BONUS") and set it to a fixed rate of $15.
Now, when an affiliate sells a Hand-Made Soap, they earn 20% of the sale price. When they sell an Imported Perfume, they earn a fixed $15. You have successfully aligned your commission structure with the varying profitability and value of each product line.
💡 How to Get Started
You can create your Extra Commission Types by navigating to Settings > Commission Structure and finding the "Extra commissions" section at the bottom.
Note on Availability: This feature is included in the Scale and Enterprise plans. If you are on the Launch plan and would like to add this functionality to your account, please contact our support team for assistance with purchasing it.
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🛠️ Technical Steps to Implement Extra Commission Types
Implementing Extra Commission Types requires making modifications to the tracking script or API requests on your website, usually with the help of a developer.
Here is a summary of the technical steps involved:
Step 1: Create the Commission Type in Your Program
Before tracking, you must define the commission type within your affiliate program dashboard:
Go to Settings > Commission Structure.
Locate the "Extra commissions" section.
Click to create a new commission type, setting the following key fields:
Title: A descriptive name (e.g., "Newsletter Signup Bonus").
Identifier: A unique, short string that you will use in your tracking code (e.g., SIGNUP-ID).
Commission: Set the specific percentage or fixed amount for this extra commission.
Please note that the affiliate will see the Title you enter when creating an extra commission in their affiliate portal.
Step 2: Integrate the Identifier into Your Tracking
Your developer needs to adjust your conversion tracking logic to pass the unique Identifier you created in Step 1.
A. Tracking an alternative commission type (Extra commission)
If you have added multiple commission types for your program, you can specify which commission type applies to the conversion you are tracking by adding to the thank-you page the following JavaScript code:
<script
src="https://script.tapfiliate.com/tapfiliate.js" type="text/javascript" async></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(t,a,p){t.TapfiliateObject=a;t[a]=t[a]||function(){
(t[a].q=t[a].q||[]).push(arguments)}})(window,'tap');
tap('create', 'YOUR ACCOUNT ID');
tap('conversion', 'Unique Conversion Id', Conversion amount, {}, 'COMMISSION-TYPE-IDENTIFIER');
</script>
The 'COMMISSION-TYPE-IDENTIFIER' is created and stored in your Tapfiliate account, under Programs > Commission structure > Extra commissions. Depending on the value passed in the parameter, the appropriate commission will be applied to the conversion (step 1 in the guide).
B. Tracking multiple commissions (conversionMulti method)
When you need to track multiple commissions for a single conversion, use conversionMulti method. This is useful when the commission you offer varies by product or category.
Usually, you loop through the order’s line items to create the commission array.
<script src="https://script.tapfiliate.com/tapfiliate.js" type="text/javascript" async></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(t,a,p){t.TapfiliateObject=a;t[a]=t[a]||function(){
(t[a].q=t[a].q||[]).push(arguments)}})(window,'tap');
tap('create', 'YOUR ACCOUNT ID');
var myOrder = {}; // get from your server
var commissions = myOrder.lineItems.map(function(lineItem) {
return {
sub_amount: lineItem.subTotal,
commission_type: lineItem.product.sku
};
})
tap('conversionMulti', 'Unique Conversion Id', {}, commissions);
</script>
C. API Integration
If you are tracking conversions or recurring payments via our REST API, you will indicate the commission type identifier within the request payload when you create the conversion.
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🔌 Automatic Tracking (WooCommerce)
If you are using our WooCommerce Integration, this process is simplified:
After creating your commission type in the program dashboard (Step 1), simply enter the Identifier into the “Tapfiliate Commission Type” field on the specific WooCommerce product or category page you want this rate to apply to.
The plug-in will automatically handle passing the correct identifier during the conversion event.
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Still need help?
If you have any questions or if something in this guide is unclear, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@tapfiliate.com-we're happy to assist!
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FAQ
❓I want to give two different commissions for my product: one for a customer sign-up and another for a subsequent sale. Can Extra Commission Types handle this?
Yes, this is an excellent use case for Extra Commission Types. You can set up two separate commissions to be tracked independently:
A "Sign-Up" Extra Commission Type: Set this up with a fixed reward (e.g., $1) to be triggered when the customer completes the sign-up action.
A "Sale" Extra Commission Type: Set this up with a percentage or fixed reward to be triggered when the customer makes a purchase.
You will need two separate tracking events implemented by your developer—one for the sign-up (using the sign-up identifier) and one for the conversion/purchase (using the sale identifier).
Pro-Tip: If you only want commissions to be issued based on these two specific actions, you can set your Standard Commission Rate to 0%. This ensures that the system only issues the rewards defined by your two Extra Commission Types, giving you granular control over both incentives.
❓I don't have a developer - can you refer me to one?
We currently do not have in-house developers available to set up commission types on your behalf. However, to assist you, we have created a short guide explaining exactly where and how you can find a qualified developer to help with your technical setup.
❓Can I set up commission type tracking in Squarespace or Wix?
No—currently, neither Squarespace nor Wix Stores provide the technical infrastructure required to track specific commission types on their platforms. This is a limitation of their respective systems rather than Tapfiliate.